Grover and Doc

The Adventures and Musings of a Therapy Dog

A Vacation of a Different Kind

As the unseasonably warm temperatures of fall in the midwest come to a close, I have been thinking about how I will spend my winter. It occurred to me that it was time to plan some “me time” away from Doc. Now that she is back on her feet again, I won’t feel the need to keep my eye on her every minute of the day. It just so happens that I came across a web site the other day called AtlasObscura.com that listed some very unusual travel destinations, so I thought I would share them with you to see what you think.

Since Christmas is around the corner, the first place that caught my eye, is an elf school in Iceland. While learning about the seven types of elves, they also offer study about other little creatures like fairies and gnomes. Who knows, some of the things I learn could lead me to a part-time gig with Santa over Christmas break.

After finishing elf school, I though I would come back to the US and make a stop in Midland, Michigan to check out a school for the Santa’s that help out the real one when he gets too busy. Here I will learn about the history of Santa Clause, reindeer habits, and they even have flight lessons, all important things to know if you are Santa. I was thinking I might fill in for Rudolf if he needed to call in sick. CBS dubbed this school as the Harvard of Santa schools, so I know it is good.

After finishing my elf and Santa classes I will probably want to spend some time at the beach so I can relax before heading home. If I go down to Tampa, Florida, not only can I get in some beach time, but I can also attend the Gasparella Pirate Festival. This will be the 101st year that they have celebrated the last of the buccaneers, pirate Jese Gaspirillo, who terrorized the southern part of Florida all the way down to Cuba. My favorite part of this adventure is that everyone is expected to dress and act like a pirate. I am already thinking of some costume ideas and am excited for some of the events that will include; walking the plank, how to overtake another ship, capture their jewels and draw a correct treasure map.

After the pirate festival it will be time to head home as it will almost be Christmas and I will probably be home sick anyway. I know I will come back with some good stories to tell and will learn a lot on my adventure. Until then, I hope this sparked your curiosity about some places off the beaten path that you would like to explore. They could be far away or right near your back door, you just never know.